Peruvian rock cutting juice

[Getragdogleg]

I was watching a documentary about the intricate joints in the stones of Machu picchu and it was postulated that the builders knew of a plant extract that could soften rock so it could be shaped and then washed away after to leave a hard accurate joint.

looking at some of the amazing joints they managed to make I can see why this has been suggested.

is it possible that this is another bit of lost knowledge ?

http://tilakdutta.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/inca-st...

[Seeker UK]

The close fitting rocks have often been cited as proof of lost knowledge and / or ancient astronaut intervention.

Actually, it's a bit of a trick and only the fronts are the exact tight fight, the rest is loosely cut and could be easily acheived with stone cutting tools

http://indra.com/~davide/IncaWalls/Index.html

It means that Incas were clever but not that clever.

[Westy Pre-Lit]

Seeker UK said:

It means that Incas were clever but not that clever.

I think you underestimate them

Here is an interesting documentary that shows how they believe it was done. Sections 1-3 show the moving of a block and a guy shaping one. He says it's possible to achieve the perfection of the stone work, unfortunately he doesn't achieve or able to show it IMHO. His joins look like you can fit more than a razor blade in them to me. In my opinion if they want credibility making those statements then they need to show it rather than just say it's possible.

No it's not WOO BLOODY WOO WOO !!

http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/31421/Secrets...

http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/31422/Secrets...

http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/31891/Secrets...

http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/32306/Secrets...

http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/32308/Secrets...

http://www.videopediaworld.com/video/32687/Secrets...

What they conveniently forget though is that shaping and fitting small-sized blocks, which they use to say they have proven their theory, is on a whole different level, scale and ball game. Anybody who works with stone will know and understand this but don't let that get in the way of wiping you hands and saying everything is proven.

The effort taken to move a 1 ton block is quite comical

In the first few paragraphs of this site there is a response to their efforts.

http://davidpratt.info/andes2.htm#a1

Edited by Westy Pre-Lit on Sunday 15th January 21:59

[Halb]

I know some of the blocks are pretty big in those American mountains.

Wally Wallington is a man who has shown how to move large blocks. He is an interesting fella, him and that Leedskalnin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Wallington

[Simpo Two]

Getragdogleg said:

I was watching a documentary about the intricate joints in the stones of Machu picchu and it was postulated that the builders knew of a plant extract that could soften rock so it could be shaped and then washed away after to leave a hard accurate joint.

Rock can be dissolved by acid, so maybe some plant could be mashed down/fermented into some kind of acid, but I can't see it being very strong.

Maybe it was done by skill, practice and manual dexterity. They never thought of that eh?!

[Elderly]

I'm not demigrating what the Incas did but don't forget that M.P. was probably built around the middle of the 15th century, whilst some of Europe's much more sophisticated Cathedrals were built some 250 years before that time.

[Halb]

They are impressive, they would have been staggering at 2450 metres above sea level.

[Westy Pre-Lit]

Elderly said:

I'm not demigrating what the Incas did but don't forget that M.P. was probably built around the middle of the 15th century, whilst some of Europe's much more sophisticated Cathedrals were built some 250 years before that time.

The crucial differences being the transportation of the quarried stone, the sheer size of the block work used and handled, the type of stone used in the construction and the tools and equipment used.

The Incas built in a totally different league, which is probably the reason why we still can't say for sure how they did it.

[Oakey]

??

[M5 Russ]

I always found Edward Leedskalnin and his Coral Castle fascinating. To this day his building methods are not understood. It appears he took his secret to his grave and as far as I can tell, no one has yet come up with an answer as to how he exactly managed to build a 1100 ton castle on his own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Leedskalnin

Edited by M5 Russ on Monday 30th January 01:02

[Ayahuasca]

Amazing that the Inkas were able to make walls like this this:



but neither they (nor any other American culture) developed the wheel.

[Odie]

I reckon they just did it by eye and experience, just imagine some of the guys building these walls did it for 50-60 years straight after that amount of practice they could probably just do it.

[Simpo Two]

Pah, Presscrete!


All you need is a hammer and chisel, and a good eye and time. Some cultures can get overly obsessed with things - consider Easter Island where they were so busy fighting over big statues they ran out of food.

[Ali G]

Elderly said:

I'm not demigrating what the Incas did but don't forget that M.P. was probably built around the middle of the 15th century, whilst some of Europe's much more sophisticated Cathedrals were built some 250 years before that time.

Totally agree with this - many of the cathedrals were built pre MP and are much more sophisticated.

However, the Incas were only around for a relatively short time (150 years?)

MP is not necessarily the finest example of there stone technology - sacsayhuaman at Cuzco may be better and more accessible. Some very large stones there!

These were NOT built by little green men!

As an aside, the structures built by the sophisticated Spaniards have been far less able to withstand the earthquakes which regularly hit the area.

Peru remains and enigmatic and hugely fascinating country with a very ancient culture (possibly the very first cities on the planet)

Recomend anyone (with a head for heights) to go and have a look at!

[Ayahuasca]

Ali G said:

Peru remains and enigmatic and hugely fascinating country with a very ancient culture (possibly the very first cities on the planet)

And some of the best food in the world!

[Westy Pre-Lit]

Ali G said:

Totally agree with this - many of the cathedrals were built pre MP and are much more sophisticated.

I suppose it all depends on what you determine to be sophistication.

The clips at the bottom of this page are rather interesting.

http://www.ancient-mysteries-explained.com/vitrifi...

Here is a paper on the stones.

http://www.ancient-mysteries-explained.com/support...

[Elderly]

Ayahuasca said:

And some of the best food in the world!

My bowels, and those of my travelling companions would take issue with that statement

[Use Psychology]

Ali G said:

Elderly said:

I'm not demigrating what the Incas did but don't forget that M.P. was probably built around the middle of the 15th century, whilst some of Europe's much more sophisticated Cathedrals were built some 250 years before that time.

Totally agree with this - many of the cathedrals were built pre MP and are much more sophisticated.

However, the Incas were only around for a relatively short time (150 years?)

the technology available to the Incas was way more primitive than that available to medieval europeans...

[Halb]

Use Psychology said:

Ali G said:

Elderly said:

I'm not demigrating what the Incas did but don't forget that M.P. was probably built around the middle of the 15th century, whilst some of Europe's much more sophisticated Cathedrals were built some 250 years before that time.

Totally agree with this - many of the cathedrals were built pre MP and are much more sophisticated.

However, the Incas were only around for a relatively short time (150 years?)

the technology available to the Incas was way more primitive than that available to medieval europeans...

I also think the fact it is 2450 metres above sea level puts it ahead.

[Ali G]

Ayahuasca said:

And some of the best food in the world!

Guinea pig pizza..

Alpacca and chips ..

Not forgeting Inca Cola - lovely yellow colour - and given how they like their 'tea' who knows what its got in it